The Plan That Would Change Everything

Adira Akilah was a young lady who had a passion for education. Her parents named her that because it stood for "strong, powerful, and wise." They knew that she was a flower ready to blossom into the world to do good. Adira Akilah came from a low-income family that struggled every day to survive. Her parents were really supportive of her going to school. Adira went to a public high school that had a population of three hundred students. Adira was impatiently waiting for graduation day because she was so excited to finally get her diploma.

Unexpectedly, there was this leader named Bashshar. Whose name meant the one who "brings good news." Men in the Saudi Arabian government decided to listen to him and to his ideas. They ended up liking his ideas, so they closed down schools because a school was a symbol of capitalism. Which in Bashshar's point of view started the cultural revolution. This meant that they wanted to destroy and replace one culture with another, and replace old values with new ones. Manji was even more upset when she found out that Bashshar allowed reopening schools under one condition, which was that girls were prohibited from attending.

Later that day, the government declared that all women living in Saudi Arabia must wear hijabs.This word means "curtain" or "hiding." The men thought that was this more appropriate for a woman that way men wouldn't be provoked by them. All women were forced to change their whole wardrobes because showing their skin out in public wasn't women like.

"But mama, this is really unfair," Adira exclaimed loudly.

"What can be done?" slowly combing through Adiras hair. "We have no say in this."

As Adira angrily stood up from her mother Lala's lap she said,

"Well if we don't have a say in this, then I absolutely hate it and I will not let this Bashshar guy come and ruin this for me."

"My dear Adira there is nothing we can do." Abba quietly said as he walked in the room. "Just please let this go and move on."

"Are you serious papa?" Adira asked in disgust. "Do you really agree with them?"

"No." he assured her. "But keep in mind we are a low-income family that has no power whatsoever and we can't risk anything."

"Exactly." Lala agreed. "We can't risk being the center of attention of anything."

Who knows what those sick monsters will do." Abba added.

"So you guys are saying we should let them treat us like this?" Adira heatedly asked.

"Yes." Abba bitterly yelled at her. "So please drop this and move on."

As soon as her sweet and loving Abba said that she ran to her room, and before laying down she locked her door. Adira was never yelled at and when she saw the distressed look that he gave her she knew he wasn't kidding.That night she couldn't sleep because she had nightmares of men ruling this country someday. It also led to her having another dream that someday women were used and treated as slaves.

Instead of sleeping, she decided to wake up and make a plan. A plan that no one has ever heard of before and one that was going to change the whole country's mind about women. She believed that women should be treated with respect and equality. Adira knew what she was getting herself into, but she decided to go behind her beloved parent's backs. She thought to herself, and right away knew that this country needed a whole lot of inspiration in order for her plan to work.

She stayed up all night and the next morning thought that for this to work she needed friends to help her, but none of them agreed. They thought she was insane for trying to go against the government. The plan started as Adira looking for a good public space with a lot of people. She realized that there was an event called the Janadriyah Festival that many important people attended all the time. She thought that this was the best idea to grab people's attention, but she thought about it and told herself this wasn't enough. So she had decided to make this more interesting and riskier by not wearing her hijab.

Even though Adira knew there was a chance that people would shun or kill her, she was still convinced that she could change their minds by simply using her voice. The more attention she got the more she hoped that there were going to be more possibilities along the way. She wanted the government to realize how important women are in this world. Since she knew the news reporters were going to be there on that day her publicity could get all over Saudi Arabia. That way all the women in the country are informed about what she is trying to prove. When she told her parents about this plan later on in the day, they were completely against it.

"You will absolutely not do this!" her abba furiously exclaimed.

"I'm sorry my dear but we cannot let you do this." Lala sharply told her. "We forbid you from doing this actually."

"Why are you two so against me doing this? She cried out. " I thought you two were my parents and were supposed to support anything I do. You guys act like I have some sort of power."

"You know what young lady, go to your room". Abba yelled loudly.

Adira stomped and slammed the door behind her.

"Have you told her about the special gift she was born with?" Abba asked nervously.

"No I haven't," Lala assured him while holding his hand.

"It's for the best," Abba leaned on her. "You must understand my dear Lala."

"Yes." She said as she kissed his forehead.

Little did her parents know that she had forgotten her written plan and headed downstairs to go and get it. She managed to overhear them talk about this gift she supposedly has.

"Gift?" Adira confusingly asked them. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Did you hear everything we just said?" Abba worriedly asked. "I hoped to never tell you this, but when you were born this psychic showed up unannounced to our hospital room."

"She told us," Lala interrupted. "That you would bring good to everyone someday, but you just wouldn't live after your glorious accomplishment."

"What if we lose you?" Abba said as his eyes began to tear up. "I can't bear to lose my only child over some plan."

"I love you guys and I thank you so much for telling me the truth," Adira assured them. "But if this is what it's going to take to free women once and for all I will do this plan with or without your guy's help."

"Count me in," Lala stated as she wiped her tears.

"Can I count on you Papa Abba?" Adira questioned him.

"Yes, my dear child." He responded.